Effects of electropulsing treatment on the microstructural evolution of hot-rolled TiBw/TA15 composite billet with a network architecture

Abstract

The use of resistance heating patterns is one of the underlying opportunities for the hot processing of hard-working materials. Here, the effect of electropulsing treatment (EPT) on the microstructure of a hot-rolled TiBw/TA15 composite billet with a network architecture was investigated. Experimental results showed that the stable temperature platform presented a competition between Joule heat and heat dissipation, including heat conduction, convection, and radiation, and the temperature distribution was non-uniform. The ultimate temperatures of the EPT samples increased gradually as the electropulsing increased. Then, the traditional heat treatment sample was compared with the EPT samples via electron backscatter diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction. Results of analyses indicate that the athermal effect independent from electropulsing can promote the growth of grains, but it also decreases the dislocation density and increases the recrystallization fraction. Therefore, athermal effects can exist authentically in contrast to the thermal effects, and specific thermal effects can hardly achieve the results obtained in this study.